Mind, Body, and Soul with the Boys and Girls Club #TriplePlay10 #ad

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Boys & Girls Club of America. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Wow, it's already October! School and after-school activities are in full swing with the Garcia Family. Time management and finding balance between all activities has definitely taken some effort on behalf of hubby and I. As parents we all expect our children to do well in school, but at the same time find activities that will help our children be well-rounded and be the best they can be. 


Boys and Girls Club of America’s (BGCA), along with sponsors The Coca-Cola Company and Anthem BlueCross Foundation, has developed its first comprehensive health and wellness program. BGCA's Triple Play program, developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, strives to improve the overall health of Club members ages 6-18 by increasing their daily physical activity, teaching them good nutrition and helping them develop healthy relationships.

With 3 out of 10 kids in the United States overweight or obese, along with 1 out of 5 children ages 13-18 having (or will have) a serious mental health illness, giving parents tools to encourage Mind, Body, and Soul wellness within their families is essential.

Research shows that exercise like jogging, swimming, biking, walking, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression. Also, children who have positive relationships to spirituality are 40 percent less likely to use and abuse substances, and have 60 percent less depression than other teenagers. 

The mind, body, and soul components of BGCA's Triple Play program is fundamental in our home.

As parents, we are committed to helping our children find balance with all the activities they are involved in, as well as in the relationships they have with family and friends. 

The Body component boosts BGCA's traditional physical activities to a higher level by providing sports and fitness activities for all youth. Body programs include six Daily Fitness Challenges; teen Sports Clubs focused on leadership development, service and careers in athletics; and Triple Play Games Tournaments, inter-Club sectional tournaments that involve multiple team sports. 

In our family, our boys have found very different passions when it comes to physical fitness. At times, it is a challenge balancing schedules, but we find delight in the fact our boys have found physical activities they love to do. 

Our youngest DJ, has been involved in hop hop dance for over a year now. He says, "I love to dance! I learn a lot of dancing and my teacher makes it fun!" Besides the learning of the dance moves, DJ has learned how to interact with kids older than him, to take direction and be disciplined as the youngest member of the dance team. I have been so very amazed in his bravery when performing in front of others. He has learned so many great personal characteristics being involved in hop hop dance!





My older son, Jelo, has found his place in AYSO Soccer. He says he likes playing offense better because he gets to "kick into the goal". Although he has yet to make a goal in the two seasons he's been playing soccer, he remains optimistic and says "It's ok, as long as I'm having fun!" Soccer has helped Jelo deal with his short temper when he doesn't get his way. Through soccer, he's learned to be patient, yet persistent. He's also learned that he can't always win, which is a lesson he can relate to many different situations in life. 




BGCA's The Soul component of the Triple Play program helps build positive relationships and cooperation among young people. Being involved in hop hop dance, as well as soccer, my boys have definitely earned the concepts of teamwork and working along with others to achieve a goal. For our family, the soul part of the Triple Play program is very important. For us, family prayer every night, religious education classes, as well as weekly church service has given our family the glue to keep us building those positive relationships with others, but most especially within our own family.


The Mind component encourages young people to eat smart through the Healthy Habits program, which covers the power of choice, calories, vitamins and minerals, the food pyramid and appropriate portion size. BGCA Triple Play Parents Game Plan has a great tool to help assess your kids' healthy eating and fitness knowledge. "What's the 411 Relay?" questionaire was fun to do with my kids. Out 18 questions, Jelo and DJ got 5 wrong. Those snack questions really stumped them!



Download the BGCA Triple Play Parents Game Plan to learn more ways on how to can help your children increase their daily physical activity, teach them good nutrition and help them develop healthy relationships.

BGCA hopes to build the next generation of leaders, by motivating kids to be healthy through nutrition and health education, more access to healthy foods, avoidance of risky behaviors and a lifelong commitment to fitness.

Don't forget to visit Boys and Girls Club of America on social media too!
Hashtag: #TriplePlay10